Original - Duke Divinity School

Thou too canst boast thy Lawns, and painted Meads,
Thy funny Vallies, and sequestr’d Shades;
As pleasing Dreams thy Trees and Springs bestow,
As gently whisper, and as sweetly flow;
With equal Charms the tuneful Muse delight,
Inspire her Rapture, and her Lays invite. … 25
Oft thro’ thy cool Retreats I silent stray,
And lost in Thought, neglect my heedless Way;
Intent on Nature’s Works, my wand’ring Mind
Shakes off the busy Town she left behind;
Her Wings she plumes anew, expatiates free,
And quits the World for Solitude and thee.
How pleasing, while the Sun in early Day
Shoots o’er the Earth aslant his dawning Ray;
In that calm Light thy glist’ring Fields to view,
E’er his hot Beams have drunk the Morning Dew;
E’er genial Zephyrs breathe upon the Bow’rs,
Op’ning the balmy Buds, and Virgin Flow’rs;
Th’ unruffled Streams with silent Pace are born,
Nor shakes the Aspen Leaf, nor waves the Corn;
The sleeping Cloud low on the Mountain lies,
And Vapours from the Valley slowly rise.
Full of new Life, up starts the sprightly Fawn,
And wanton, skips and bounds along the Lawn:
The tow’ring Lark long since has reach’d the Sky,
And equal balanc’d, soaring hangs on high;
Maturely conscious of approaching Light,
She first of Creatures breaks from drowzy Night;
25 Wesley drops two full stanzas that speak of nymphs, dryads, etc.
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